Conference in Rome May 2018 Further strengthening of SEPA capacities in the management of contaminated sites

The Serbian Environment Protection Agency representatives were hosted at the Global Symposium on Soil Pollution that took place in FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, on May 2-4, 2018. The study visit was held within the partnership fostered between the Italian and Serbian specialized institutions and facilitated by UNEP, in the scope of the grant provided by the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea to the UN Environment / GEF[1] project “Enhanced Cross-Sectoral Land Management through Land Use Pressure Reduction and Planning” that aims to strengthen national capacities and increase technical knowledge with regards to soil monitoring and remediation.

The project “Supporting the Western Balkan Region in the Implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements through Strengthening of Institutional Framework and Capacity Building”, financed by the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea and implemented by UN Environment, the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) is assisting SEPA by providing training on conventional and innovative methods of investigating soil pollution, environmental reporting in accordance with EU standards, remediation technologies and risk assessment procedures with a specific focus on application of PRAMS methodology, on-site safety measures and personal protective equipment for field investigations. Italian good practices and experiences on contaminated sites were also demonstrated in the preparation of characterization plans for the two selected industrial sites of Zorka (Šabac) and Viskoza (Loznica).

The joint Italy-Serbia study visits and capacity building training were an excellent opportunity for international cooperation, learning and exchange of national experiences on soil quality deterioration and pollution monitoring. The project represents a further milestone of cooperation between UN Environment, the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development in the Western Balkans.

[1] Global Environment Facility

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